This enormous grey carnivore has bony ridges covering its paws, snout, and spine. Its eyes reflect the light, giving them a slight green glow.

Dire hyenas are massive predators of the desert that hunt their prey in large packs. Typically, a lone hyena will attack only wounded or otherwise apparently weak prey, but in packs they can take down game much larger than they could normally, such as lions, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, and occasionally elephants. They are primarily nocturnal creatures, preferring to hunt at night when it’s cooler and easier to ambush prey.